MSC A F Handbook 2010 Master 14sept10
MSC A F Handbook 2010 Master 14sept10
2010-2011
2
Contents Page
Appendices
- Guidance on marked classwork 44
- Further information on the Student Services 47
Centre
4
Dear MSc Accounting and Finance Student
Welcome to the LSE. Excitement, challenge, pleasure and some considerable hard work await you over this coming
academic year! You are part of a very select group of individuals admitted to this programme. Each year, graduates
from the MSc Accounting and Finance programme take up demanding positions in a diverse range of organisations
spread around the globe. Some engage in their own start-ups, others join investment banks, brokerage houses,
consultancies, professional accountancy firms, financial boutiques and industrial concerns. Many decide to pursue
further graduate study. The “LSE experience” in one way or another influences every MSc candidate’s future
possibilities and endeavours.
To assist you in making the best use of resources available to MSc students, and to guide your programme of study, the
following pages document what you will need to know. Whilst this student handbook is as comprehensive as we could
make it, if you have any questions you do not find answers to, please ask at the Student Information Centre, with the
MSc Programme Manager (Dorothy Richards) or contact your Academic Adviser. Do not hesitate to contact me if you
feel I am better placed to help.
Al Bhimani
Head of Department of Accounting
Programme Director, MSc Accounting and
Finance
Professor of Management Accounting
July 2010
5
2. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Accounting continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the leading groups in the world for teaching
and research on the economic, institutional and organisational aspects of accounting and financial management.
Maintaining and advancing our leading international reputation for teaching and research is our top priority, and thus,
we are committed:
To enhance still further the quality of the student experience in our programmes at both the undergraduate
and graduate level, such as by maintaining effective student-faculty ratios and ensuring an appropriate
balance and mix of students to maintain diversity and quality of the educational experience.
To strengthen further our outstanding research environment through research seminars, visitors and strong
links with other departments, research centres and external constituencies, making it possible to study
relevant accounting issues within the rich context of the social sciences in line with the School's intellectual
tradition.
We are proud about the diversity in everything we do, as it is the key to our competitive advantage locally as well as
globally. We therefore strive to continue to combine 'global appeal' with a distinctive 'European orientation' in terms of
institutional knowledge and affiliations as well as intellectual traditions.
The following web pages provide further information about our programmes and research, as well as our faculty,
news
and events,
you are andfor.
looking links to other organisations. We hope you will find these pages insightful in providing the
information
6
Who’s Who in the Department of Accounting
Department Manager
The Head of Department has overall responsibility for Departmental administration. Professor Bhimani is supported by
an administrative team headed by Charlotte Knights, Department Manager.
The Chair has overall responsibility for all communications with the programme Sub-board and School
administration .
MSc Accounting and Finance - Programme Manager:
Dorothy is responsible for providing the administrative support for your programme. She is your first point of contact for
administrative queries relating to your studies including registration, course choices/changes and exam registration.
She also supports the MSc Accounting and Finance staff student liaison committee and acts as a liaison between the
home department and student representatives, and between students and School administration.
7
Student Services Manager
Administrator
Justin is responsible for the administration of all accounting courses and for ensuring all materials are loaded
onto
Moodle course pages.
Elizabeth is responsible for the Student Information Centre. She is your first point of contact for queries regarding office
hours and will assist you with the collection of course packs and classwork.
A full list of academic staff and their research interests in the Department of Accounting can be found on the
departmental website at [Link]
8
Who’s Who in the Department of Finance
Department Manager
photo unavailable
Osmana Raie, Room OLD3.01, Ext: 7324, Email: [Link]@[Link].
uk
photo unavailable
Ms Mary Comben, Room OLD3.05, Ext: 7739 Email: [Link]@[Link].
uk
photo unavailable
Dr Antonio Mele, Room OLDM3.12, Ext: 5371, Email: [Link]@[Link].u
k
A full list of academic staff and their research interests in the Department of Finance can be found on the departmental
website at [Link]
9
3. FIRST STEPS
ORIENTATION MEETING
MSc Accounting and Finance
Provisional Programme
10.15am Administration
Charlotte Knights – Department
Manager
10.20am FM430 Corporate Finance and Asset Markets; FM429 Asset Markets A; FM431 Corporate Finance
A
Dr Vicente Cunat and Dr Kathy Yuan
10.30am AC410 Management Accounting, Strategy and Organisational Control
Professor Wim Van der Stede
AC411 Accounting, Strategy and Control
Professor Wim Van der Stede
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ORIENTATION MEETING
MSc Accounting and Finance
11.40am Examinations
Dr Pascal Frantz - Chair, MSc Accounting and Finance Sub-board of
Examiner’s
General: Registration, Academic Advisers, Finalising Course Choices
Professor Al Bhimani – Programme Director
12.25pm Reminders
MSc Programme Design
Academic Advisers
Quantitative Methods in Accounting and Finance (commences Saturday 2
October) Final date for Michaelmas Term Course Selection (Thursday 14 October
2010) Reception (Shaw Library, at 17.00)
For further enquiries please go to the Department of Accounting, Student Information Centre, Room
OLD3.20 or contact Dorothy Richards on 020 7955 6603 or in Room OLD3.22.
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AC550 Quantitative Methods For Accounting and Finance
Provisional Outline 2010/11
Teachers responsible:
Dr Stefano Cascino (Course Leader)
Dr Pascal Frantz
Dr Ane Tamayo
Dr Dimitrios Tsomocos
Course content
This first week course is a reminder of the fundamentals of algebra, analysis and statistics, and of the basic accounting and
disclosure principles and practice that are needed for the Masters courses in Accounting and Finance.
The course is organized in three sections: Section 1 - “Finance: Quantitative Methods” provides the basic quantitative tools
needed for the technical MSc courses. It consists of an introduction to Basic Calculus, Probability and Statistics. Section 2 -
“Accounting: Disclosure Principles and Practice” reviews major features of contemporary GAAP under International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRS), and the formal structure of, and interrelationships between, published accounting statements.
Given the formal structure of financial statement articulation, it indicates some properties of the behaviour of accounting
numbers, including the impact of alternative accounting policies and the relationship between book value and market value of
firms. This framework underpins the treatment of current problems of, and developments in, financial accounting, reporting
and analysis. Section 3 - “Game Theory: Application to Capital Markets” introduces the game theoretical tools required to
analyze issues in accounting and finance in settings in which economic agents interact strategically. Recognizing that
financial markets are characterized by asymmetries of information between entrepreneurs (or managers) and investors, this
section presents the concept of a Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium (PBE) and provides applications in settings characterized by
adverse selection. It shows how adverse selection can lead to the collapse of financial markets and provides conditions
under which corporate financial reporting can solve this problem.
All Masters students intending to take any finance courses should attend the “Finance: Quantitative Methods.” All those
intending to take advanced financial accounting courses (e.g. AC420 or AC444) should attend the “Accounting: Disclosure
Principles and Practice” section which is recommended for all MSc Accounting and Finance and MSc Law and Accounting
students. Those students taking AC420 should also attend the “Game Theory: Application to Capital Markets” section which
is
recommended for all MSc Accounting and Finance students.
Information for current students
Information for current students will be available to you via moodle [Link]
Feedback on performance and progress will be provided during class, on written homework assignments, and during
office hours.
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Section 2 Accounting: Disclosure Principles and Practice
Dr Stefano Cascino will cover the following topics:
Course overview
Accounting regulation
Saturday 2 October 2010
Harmonization of accounting standards
Conceptual framework
Accounting standards and standard setters
Monday 4 October 2010 Long term assets
TIMETABLE 2010/11
Details Date Day Time Finish Room Teacher
CASCINO, DR STEFANO,
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 02-10-2010 Saturday 10:00 13:00 NABLG08 TAMAYO, DR ANE
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 02-10-2010 Saturday 14:00 16:00 NABLG08 TAMAYO, DR ANE
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 04-10-2010 Monday 09:00 11:00 NABLG08 CASCINO, DR STEFANO
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 04-10-2010 Monday 12:00 14:00 OT CASCINO, DR STEFANO
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 05-10-2010 Tuesday 10:00 12:00 D1 CASCINO, DR STEFANO
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 05-10-2010 Tuesday 13:00 15:00 NABLG08 CASCINO, DR STEFANO
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 06-10-2010 Wednesday 14:00 18:00 E171 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 07-10-2010 Thursday 09:00 12:00 NABLG08 FRANTZ, DR PASCAL
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 07-10-2010 Thursday 15:00 17:00 OT CASCINO, DR STEFANO
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 08-10-2010 Friday 09:00 11:00 E171 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 08-10-2010 Friday 13:00 17:00 OT TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 09-10-2010 Saturday 10:00 13:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 09-10-2010 Saturday 14:00 16:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 Office hour 09-10-2010 Saturday 16:00 17:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 10-10-2010 Sunday 10:00 13:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 lecture 10-10-2010 Sunday 14:00 16:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
Accounting and Finance - AC550 Office hour 10-10-2010 Sunday 16:00 17:00 NABLG08 TSOMOCOS, DR DIMITRIOS
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School Registration
Programme registration for new graduate students will take place on the following date:
Wednesday 22 September in the Hong Kong Theatre (Clement House) from 2.00pm to 5.00pm
Registration means that you are a member of the School and entitled to use the School facilities. At registration you
will
receive LSE ID card, which is also your library card. You will not be required to choose individual courses
at registration. Full information can be found by visiting the following weblink:
[Link]
For students who are not able to attend their scheduled session due to unavoidable circumstances, there will
be
arrangements for late registration as follows:
i) Thursday 30 September to Friday 1 October in the Hong Kong Theatre (Clement House) from 10.30am to 1.00pm.
ii) Monday 4 October to Tuesday 5 October in the Student Services Centre (Old Building) from 10.30am to
1.00pm.
If for any reason you are unable to register on time, please contact the Student Services Centre - registry@[Link].u
k.
School Orientation
[Link]
aspx
The above weblink provides useful information, including a checklist for your first few days at LSE, the Students’ Union
Freshers’ Fair, and the Orientation Events Timetable for Postgraduate students.
Choosing Courses
All course choices are subject to approval. Choice of any course not offered by Department of Accounting is subject to
availability and timetabling constraints. Students are required to take the number of courses
as prescribed by their programme regulations. Students on the MSc Accounting and Finance
programme are required to take the equivalent of four full units per year. For information on
the
syllabus and content of courses available in 2010/11, please consult the link:
[Link]
Students can make their course choices online via LSE for You (LFY), LSE's web-based self-service student
administration system. If you are a new student joining the School in October, information on how to activate your LFY
account can be found via the online application tracker system. You can collect your password after your account has
been generated in early August.
If you would like to discuss your choice of courses and then record your option changes online, please make an
appointment to see the Programme Director, Professor Al Bhimani who will be available on Monday 4th October 2010
from 10.00am in case of queries.
It is very important that you register for your courses by the deadline Thursday 14 October 2010..
Course/Module Capping
A full list of graduate courses with limited places (capped courses) can be found at:
[Link]
Any student wishing to take a capped course outside the Department must follow the instructions given at the link
above
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Courses Requiring Permission
If you would like to register for an outside option (that is a course not offered within your programme's regulations),
you
can do so online. Please note that you are advised to contact the department offering the course to ensure that you
are eligible to register for it as an outside option. Selecting it online is no guarantee that you will be allowed to attend
this course.
Please see your Programme Manager, Dorothy Richards for advice.
Course Changes
You will not be able to select or change course(s) online from week 3 of the Michaelmas Term (Monday 18 October
2010) to the end of the Michaelmas Term (10 December 2010). Once your course choices have been approved by
the department, any changes to full units or Michaelmas Term half units will be processed by the Student Services
Centre
directly, subject to special permission from the department.
From the beginning of the Lent Term (10 January 2011), the 'select' button will be released to all students again so that
you can finalise your Lent Term half units by beginning of week 3 (Monday 24 January 2011).
The system will then be switched off permanently from Monday 24 January 2011
.
Full information about choosing courses is available here [Link]
[Link]/collections/studentServicesCentre/courseChoicePg/[Link]
Lectures for most courses begin in the second week of Michaelmas Term (Monday 11 October 2010).
For timetabled seminar changes please follow the instructions on the 'Online Graduate Seminar Sign-up' option on
LSE
for You. Please note that some departments have restricted seminar changes for practical reasons.
Lecture Handouts
Handouts and other teaching materials are normally distributed during lectures or classes. If you miss a lecture or class
given by a teacher in the Department, spare copies of handouts will normally be available from the Student Information
Centre, Room OLD3.20. Where possible, handouts will also be placed on relevant course pages on Moodle.
15
4. THE PROGRAMME
This degree leads to a Masters of Science in Accounting and Finance. Students typically take four units of
taught
courses, with examinations at the end of the academic year.
The programme is designed for students interested in a career in business, consulting or government. It also provides
a
thorough preparation for academic research in accounting or finance.
You may emphasise either accounting or finance in your choice of courses, or may opt for a more
balanced
programme. Through course selection you will be able to specialise in one of the following areas:
Accounting and financial
management
International accounting and
finance
Finance
Given the high level of academic performance expected from students, a significant amount of independent study
and
preparation is required for successful completion of the programme.
More information about this degree can be found by visiting
[Link]
[Link]
Programme Regulations
For information about the MSc Accounting and Finance programme structure please visit the weblink
[Link] Here you will find information about how you can elect
to have a degree specialisation indicated on your degree certificate.
And
Or
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FM445 Portfolio Management (H)
Core syllabus: A topics course on empirical and applied problems in portfolio management.
AC499/FM499 Dissertation
Core syllabus: The dissertation may focus on analysing the relevant literature and other source material on a particular
topic and writing a critical survey or commentary, indicating clearly the main problems and their nature, or investigating
and reporting on a selected problem, either by some small-scale empirical research, or by using information derived
from secondary sources.
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5. WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU
The School has a Code of Practice for Taught Masters Programmes: Teaching and Learning and Assessment which
can be found by visiting the following weblink [Link]
orTaughtMastersProgrammesTeachingLearnin
[Link]. Detailed below are the areas in which the Department has developed its own guidance to
students to supplement the information provided in the School’s Code.
Academic Advisers
Your academic adviser is responsible for monitoring your academic progress. Your academic adviser is available to
help
with any
third weekproblems which may Term.
of the Michaelmas arise, whether academic or personal. All MSc students will be assigned an adviser by the
You should have no hesitation in consulting your academic adviser when in doubt or
difficulty.
All students should maintain regular in contact with their advisers on academic and pastoral issues through direct
one-
to-one meetings and other means of communication, such as emails. The number and nature of meetings may vary.
Please note that if you elect to take the dissertation option, your dissertation supervisor will not necessarily be
your
regular academic adviser.
You can check your Academic Adviser’s office hours on the Department website or at the Student Information Centre,
Room OLD3.20.
Extracurricular Obligations
You should note the School recommends that full-time students work no more than 20 hours per week during term
time,
and, if at all possible, fewer than 15 hours. This is subject to:
(1) any restrictions on work placed on you by your funding body
(2) your paid work not interfering with your studies at the School
(3) you not changing classes or seminars to fit your paid work schedule
(4) ESRC students may not be employed for more than 6 hours a
week.
Full-time students are expected to be available for teaching between 9am-6pm Monday-Friday. All other
commitments
must be fitted round your MSc lecture, class and seminar times. Extracurricular obligations, such as work, are not
valid reasons for requesting a class change. The number of hours given over to extracurricular commitments is often
recommended to be less than the maximum to ensure the integrity of your studies. Please note that you may find
you have difficulty managing your studies if you commit yourself to too many extracurricular activities. Please consult
your academic adviser for advice when needed.
Responsibilities of the Student
Students are required to attend the School for the full duration of each term. Students who wish to be away for
good
reason in term time must first obtain the consent of their supervisor. Students away through illness must inform
their academic adviser and course teachers/leaders and, where the absence is for more than a fortnight, the
Student
Services
Students Centre.
are required to see their academic advisers at least once a term to discuss academic or pastoral matters,
including their progress in their studies. It is your responsibility to arrange to see your academic adviser either
during office hours or at another mutually convenient time.
19
In the event that you wish to change your academic adviser for reasons such as a breakdown in the relationship
between you and your adviser, you should contact the Programme Manager, Dorothy Richards. Dorothy will arrange
for you to meet with the Programme Director to discuss the problem and how to resolve it.
Although this will vary according to the nature of the course, the normal pattern of learning for taught postgraduate
students in the Department is through attendance at weekly lectures and their supporting classes. During classes,
assignments will be set to provide feedback on your progress. Normally one piece of work per term will be collected
by
your class teacher, marked and returned to you (this is known as formative assessment). On some courses, there is
coursework that is graded as part of your final assessment (summative assessment). This coursework will be
marked but as this forms part of your final exam grade no detailed feedback will be given and the work will not be
returned to
you. In addition to the set work, you are expected to undertake a significant amount of reading and independent
A refresher
study coursethe
throughout onyear.
Quantitative Methods for Accounting and Finance (AC550) is provided which indicates the level
of
background knowledge and skill you will need to underpin your studies.
If you require further support for your study skill in areas such as time management, presentation
skills,
essay writing or exams, you should check out what is available on the LSE Learning World website
([Link]
Teaching Quality
The Department places great emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the quality of its teaching. In recent years, we
have had both internal and external teaching quality reviews, which have endorsed the high quality of our teaching
and the environment we provide for students.
As part of our teaching quality systems, we have introduced coursework cover sheets that enable students to receive
feedback on their written work. We have also developed marking guidance to help you understand the meaning of the
grades you receive. We organise regular Staff/Student Liaison Committee Meetings which students are encouraged
to attend and voice their opinion on matters relating to teaching and administration. We also provide opportunities for
students to act as student representatives.
In addition to these formal mechanisms, we actively encourage students to speak to their Academic Adviser or
Programme Director if there are any issues they wish to raise about teaching delivery and quality, or any aspect of
their experience while at the LSE.
20
6. EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT
Students at the School are usually expected to do two types of assessment during their studies. Class work or course
work is submitted to the class teacher for formative assessment, or help students develop their skills and
understanding. This work may well be graded, to give students a feel for how they are progressing. In addition
students are also
required to produce assessed essays and take unseen written examinations for summative assessment, designed to
evaluate the student's current level of academic achievement (for grading). Each LSE course will be summatively
assessed or examined, most often by sit-down 2 hour or 3 hour examination, though some departments use some
more
Formative Assessment
varied assessments, including essays, projects, dissertations, portfolios and practicals of various kinds.
In most full-unit MSc courses, in preparation for the assessed components of the course (long
essays and/or the examination) you will be expected to submit a minimum of two written
papers in the course of the year. You will also be expected to participate in seminar
presentations and discussions. These aspects of your coursework are formative, that is, they do
not count towards the final grade. The course teachers will provide you with feedback usually in
the form of written comments and a mark. This feedback is invaluable in your preparation for the
formal assessments. Appendix One illustrates the assessment criteria that your course teachers are
employing. Please refer to the equivalent mark for the classification criteria.
In planning for their assessed (summative) coursework, students should be aware that teaching staff are not available
during the vacations. Queries and advice on coursework assignments should therefore be obtained during term-time
office hours.
Summative Assessment
The award of your degree is calculated on the basis of the results you achieve in the assessed coursework
and
examinations for each of your courses.
Each of the core courses (AC410, AC420 and FM430) are assessed by 100%
examination.
The table overleaf summarises the nature of assessment for each of the optional courses available to you. For
updated
information on this and any changes to assessment and examination structure, please visit the following
weblink [Link]
Submission of Assessed Coursework
Assessed coursework is treated in the same way as written exams and the marks you receive will be counted towards
your final grade for the course. To ensure that the marking process remains anonymous, your assessed coursework
should only be identified by your exam candidate number.
You will be given instructions on how and when to submit your assessed coursework by the Administrator of each
course. The deadlines for submitting assessed coursework are final, except where an extension has been granted by
the course leader. Extensions will normally only be granted where there is a good reason backed up by supporting
evidence (such as a medical certificate). Any extension must be confirmed in writing to the student by the course
leader.
If you fail to submit a piece of assessed coursework by the set deadline (or extended deadline, as appropriate), a
penalty will be applied. Five marks out of 100 will be deducted for any piece of coursework submitted within 24 hours of
the deadline, and a further 5 marks for each subsequent 24 hour period (working days only) until the coursework is
submitted. Please refer to the School regulations [Link]
[Link].
21
Marks for Assessed Coursework
You will receive provisional marks for their assessed coursework during the year. The timing of the release of these
marks will be communicated to you by the Programme Manager or Course Administrator. All assessed coursework
marks are informal, provisional and only given as feedback on your performance on the course. The coursework mark
will be combined with your examination mark to give you an overall mark for the course at the end of your programme.
All marks are provisional until confirmed in writing by the School at the end of the examination
process.
Dissertation (Long Essay) Option – AC499 (or FM499)
Availability
This is available for students on the MSc Accounting and Finance programme, who elect to take this as an option in
paper 3 or 4. Permission to select this long essay option must be obtained from the Programme Director by week 3
of Michaelmas Term - Monday 18 October 2010. Students wishing to select this option must identify and secure
agreement from a member of staff who is willing to provide supervision for the long essay.
If you decide to elect this as an option in paper 3 or 4, the deadline for submission is end May each year – ie; Friday 27
May 2011.
22
Assessment for Optional Courses
Optional Courses Term Assessment
FM404 Forecasting Financial Time Series Lent 75% exam, 25% coursework
FM442 Quantitative Methods for Finance and Risk Analysis Michaelmas 75% exam, 20% project, 5%
presentation.
AC444 Valuation & Security Analysis Lent 70% exam, 30% project
AC470 Accounting in the Global Economy Michaelmas 70% exam, 30% written work
LL4K2 – Law of International Economic and Financial Sanctions Lent 100% exam
23
Scheme for the award of a Taught Masters Degree
This scheme should be read in conjunction with the General Regulations for Candidates, the Regulations for
Masters
degrees, and the programme regulations for the Masters degree on which the candidate is registered.
Exam Sub-Board ‘Local Rules’
The below Exam Sub-Board 'local rules' apply to the MSc Accounting and Finance
programme:
Course critical to
assessment:
None
Distinction/Merit borderline (scheme paragraph 5.3.2):
Classification for students with mark profiles falling into this range will always be determined to the
advantage of the student.
Mark and Grade for students on the MSc Accounting and Finance:
Each candidate shall be given an overall result for each course as follows:
Mark Grade
40 - 49% Fail
50 - 59% Pass
60 - 69% Merit
Mark and Grade for all courses will be specified by each Department or Institute.
Examination Timetable
Examinations for all courses take place during the Summer Term. We expect that examinations will take place
between
the middle of May and the end of June 2011. The provisional timetable is usually made available by the last day of the
Lent Term. It is published on the LSE Website, and students can access their personal examination timetables through
LSE for You. The final examination timetable will be confirmed early in the Sumner Term and published on the
School’s website. The final timetable may require you to sit two exams in one day. For detailed information on the
examination and assessment process, see: [Link]
Pg/[Link]
Past Examination Papers
Past exam papers for all courses can be found in the Library or on the School website at [Link]
Numerical Solutions to some Accounting past exam papers can be found on the relevant Moodle course pages of the
Department of Accounting and the Department of Finance . Please check Moodle for further details.
24
Examination Question Papers
Examinations are intentionally difficult, and feel more so under the pressure of timed conditions. Exam papers can
contain questions that surprise students. This is intentional: the examiners may want to test that students have
understood the material well enough to cope with new types of problems. Though a examination can be
challenging and difficult, it will also be fair.
If you are allowed to use an electronic calculator in an examination it must be of the hand-held
type, quiet in operation and compact, and must have its own power supply. You are entirely
responsible for ensuring that it is in working order and for providing in advance for alternative means
of calculating if it fails during the examination. You must state clearly on the examination script the name
and type of machine used. The unauthorized use of information contained in the memory of an electronic calculator or
the use of unauthorized software constitutes cheating.
[Link]
Students must contact the Adviser to Students with Disabilities and/or Dyslexia so that reasonable adjustments can be
made. Applications for special exam arrangements should normally be made no later than 7 weeks before the date of
the student's first examination.
Mitigating circumstances
[Link]
tionsAndResults/[Link]
During the examination period, you may need to submit a letter of mitigation, should you
become ill or injured, or experience bereavement or other personal circumstances which
you feel might have affected your academic
performance when completing assessed coursework or sitting examinations. The Sub-Board of examiners for your
programme will consider mitigation when it meets to determine your final degree classification. This meeting takes
place
in late June/ early July after your final year (for Masters students on 10-month programmes). The deadline for
submitting
Please referyour mitigation
to the andfordocumentary
above link evidence relating
any other information is withintoseven days after your last examination, or seven days
mitigation.
after the submission deadline for dissertations.
Deferral
[Link]
The School requires you to sit all assessments in the academic year in which you received tuition. Under certain
circumstances the School will allow students to postpone one or more assessments to the next academic year.
This
process is called 'deferral'. For further information on deferrals, please contact the Registration and Assessment
team within the Student Services Centre, or consult the FAQ link below:
NB: Students
Deferral FAQscan only apply for deferral after they have received all tuition for the relevant
course/s.
Results
[Link]
You will receive your results once your marks have been finalised by your department. Results are never given out over
the telephone or via email. Please contact your Programme Manager for further information.
25
Once the exam boards have met and the results are finalised, the results are published on LSEforYou (for MSc
Accounting and Finance, this will be in mid-July). Official transcripts of results will be sent to you at your permanent
home address.
In line with School policy, the results of students with an outstanding debt to the School will be blocked. Please
ensure
that the School's record of your permanent home address is correct using LSE for You.
Appeals
[Link]
The regulations for appeals are to be found on the LSE Calendar. The grounds for making an appeal are limited.
There is no appeal against the academic judgement of the examiners, and no re-marking of papers.
Plagiarism
You should note that the School and the Department regard plagiarism as a serious matter. Please take careful note of
the definition of plagiarism, which is stated in the LSE Regulations on Plagiarism:
All work for classes and seminars as well as scripts (which include, for example, essays, dissertations and any
other work, including computer programs) must be the student's own work. Quotations must be placed properly
within quotation marks or indented and must be cited fully. All paraphrased material must be acknowledged.
Infringing this requirement, whether deliberately or not, or passing off the work of others as the work of the
student, whether deliberately or not, is plagiarism.
You should also take care in the use of your own work. Credit may only be given once for a particular piece of assessed
work. Submitting the same piece of work (or a significant part thereof) twice for assessment will be regarding as
cheating. Further information regarding assessment offences can be found on the following web page:
[Link]
Plagiarism detection tools such as the JISC Similarity Index may be used by the Department if plagiarism is
suspected.
Self-plagiarism
A piece of work may be submitted for assessment only once. Submitting the same piece of work twice will be
regarded
as an offence of ‘self-plagiarism’; this applies both to work undertaken on the MSc and work submitted for a previous
degree. However, earlier essay work may be used as an element of a dissertation, provided that the use of earlier
work
is properly referenced and does not amount to more than 10% of the total.
26
7. DEPARTMENTAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
The Accounting and Finance Societies has developed into becoming one of the largest and successful society at LSE,
with the membership base only growing year on year. Membership of the Society is Department-wide, so students
from all of our graduate programmes are able to join the Society and take advantage of the opportunity to meet and
interact with their peers.
If you would like to set up a MSc Accounting and Finance Society then please visit the following
webpage
[Link]
A representative from the Students’ Union will give a presentation during the induction session on 1 October and further
information is available from the MSc Accounting and Finance Programme Manager, Dorothy Richards, Room
OLD3.22, extn 6603, email [Link]@[Link].
You should always try to resolve any questions by first going to the Student Information Centre. If your question
remains unanswered, we have set up the following procedure for you to contact members of staff in order of
preference.
1. Office Hours
2. Appointments through admin support
3. staff
Email
The names and room numbers of the Department's teaching staff are listed on the Departmental
website.
You will be able to meet staff at the Departmental Orientation Meeting on Friday 1 October 2010. There will also be an
opportunity to meet staff informally at the reception for postgraduate students at 17.00 on the same day in the Shaw
Library.
1. Email
Messages and notices are usually emailed to students. It is important that you check your email account on a
regular
basis.
2. Noticeboards
Matters of a general nature are posted on Departmental noticeboards. You should check these
regularly.
3. Mail boxes
Messages are sometimes left in the student mail boxes, which are located outside Room OLD3.18. These are usually
in
sealed dated envelopes.
4. Posted to Residence
Letters may also be sent directly to term-time or home addresses. Please ensure that your updated address is on line
via LFY.
27
Doctoral Studies in Accounting
The Department will be organising seminars during Michaelmas Term on applying for a PhD in Accounting. These
are
designed specifically for any MSc student interested in applying for PhD programmes. Further details will be
circulated to you early in Michaelmas Term.
Overseas Research Students Awards
Overseas students are eligible to apply for an Overseas Research Student (ORS) award to help with funding a PhD
in
Accounting or Finance after completing the MSc. The deadline for submitting ORS award applications is usually
January each year. If you are interested in applying for this scheme you should submit applications for both the
PhD programme and the ORS award by the beginning of Lent term 2010.
Further information on ORS Awards is available from the Financial Support Office
[Link]
Events
Three receptions for staff and students are held each year.
1. Start of Session Reception which gives new students the chance to meet their classmates as
well as members of the academic and administrative staff.
2. Christmas Reception which is normally held in Week 9 or Week 10 of Michaelmas
Term.
3. End of Year Party which is normally held just after the examination period.
Details of these events will be advertised within the department and you will also be informed via
email.
In order to show how some of the theory you learn is used in practice, the Department may set up an external speakers
series of lectures, where we invite practitioners, and in some cases visiting academics, to make presentations to
students. These lectures are generally related to some topical aspect of accounting or finance, or something which
students are seeing in their lectures and classes. A schedule of presentations will be announced early in Michaelmas
Term.
The Department manages a Facebook page for new students joining the MSc Accounting and Finance programme to
help you get to know a bit more about each other before you arrive. For further details about how to join, please contact
your Programme Manager, Dorothy Richards.
Graduate Weekend
We usually organise a Graduate Weekend for staff and postgraduate students in the Department of Accounting to
spend
time together in a location away from the LSE. This year’s trip is scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 October to
Sunday 24 October 2010 in Oxford.
Further details on this year’s event will be posted on the Moodle page and made available at the Orientation Meeting
on
1 October 2010.
28
Moodle
[Link]
Each individual course page on Moodle contains details of the Lecturer/s and Class Teacher/s who teach on the course,
should you need to contact them. Here you will also find links, where possible, to PDF versions of all handouts
distributed during the lectures throughout the year, should the Student Information Centre no longer have them. At the
bottom of the page, there is a link to the past exam papers held in the Library. Some courses may make numerical
solutions to past exam papers available. You will also find links to LSE Timetables on these pages.
The Department of Accounting hides its course materials on each Moodle course page from the end of July each year.
You will be notified and given advance notice of when this will happen by the Departmental Administrator. By
implication, students who wish to retain these course materials for their own records should download them before this
date. This is particularly advisable for students who will have to resit the exam for this course.
The course materials can be downloaded for personal use by registered students on this course during the 2009-10
academic session. Reproducing, posting, transmitting or disseminating, electronically or in any form or by any
means without the written permission from the Department of Accounting, London School of Economics, amounts to
an
infringement of copyrights. Your use of Moodle must comply with relevant legislation governing copyright and
other intellectual property rights. See [Link]
ndComplianceTeam/copyright/[Link]
Staff Office Hours
This is the time when academic staff are available in their rooms during term-time to see any student (not just those for
whom they are an Academic Adviser) without an appointment. Details of staff office hours will be posted on the
Department noticeboard outside Rooms OLD3.20 and OLD3.19 as soon as they are available. They will also be posted
on the relevant department webpage [Link]
If you wish to see your academic adviser at any other time, you should contact them via email. In the event of an
emergency, and if your own academic adviser is not available, you should go to the Student Information Centre,
Room OLD3.20 and arrangements will be made for another member of academic staff to see you.
Faculty and class teachers are expected to be available in their offices during their advertised office hours. If a member
of staff is unable to make their office hours for that week, they will normally ask their course administrator to notify
students by email and will arrange for a note to be posted on their office door. Information on changes to office hours
will also be made available on the faculty member’s web page. However, if you find that a member of staff is not
available in their office hours, you should go to the relevant department Student Information Centre to check on any last
minute changes to office hours for that week, or contact your Programme Manager.
The Staff/Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) is an open forum for discussing issues of common concern, including
issues relating to your programme, administration of the Department, and of the School. Meetings are normally held
once a term. The Programme Director chairs the meetings, with the Programme Manager acting as Secretary to the
meeting and recording the minutes.
29
Students elect year-representatives to coordinate matters, attend these meetings and voice general concerns, although
the meetings are open to all. Items can be put on the agenda by any member of the Department, staff or student.
Agendas and minutes for these meetings are emailed to students. Students are emailed with meeting dates in advance
at which time suggestions for agenda items to be discussed can be submitted.
You are strongly encouraged to attend this Committee which meets once a term. Speaking as a representative of the
student population in the meetings is one of the most effective ways of initiating change. The Student Representative
also attends and represents the department at relevant School’s committee meetings (e.g. the School Committee on
Graduate Studies).
Student Representatives
At the beginning of each year, students from each of the programmes are asked to select
student representatives to act as the interface between the Department and the student
body. Student Reps are responsible for presenting the viewpoint of their classmates in both
formal
and informal settings, and for raising and following up issues relevant to them. To be
term, per programme), contribute
effective in this to setting
role, student repsthe agenda
attend and report Liaison
Staff/Student on any Committee
issues they meetings
want to (one
discuss.
Student reps also liaise with
perthe Students’ Union to find out about relevant School-related issues. Other activities
that
student reps are encouraged to get involved with include:
Careers – working with the Department to collect information on employers and to encourage
employers to
consider our students when making their recruitment decisions.
Graduate Weekend – working with the Department to organise the schedule for the weekend and
provide support during the weekend.
Student Yearbook – working with the Department to produce a student yearbook for each programme in
time for graduation.
Anyone interested in becoming a Student Representative should contact their Programme
Manager.
Student Information Centre
The Student Information Centre is based in Room OLD3.20, 3rd Floor of the Old Building. You should go to the Centre
for queries including:
The Student Information Centre will not normally be open during vacation time.
This study room facility is only for use during term times when the School's buildings are normally all open, i.e. Monday
to Friday, 08:30 to 21:30, in term time. During exam periods extra rooms will be allocated for study outside these hours.
These can be checked on the daily room bookings list on the web, on the plasma screens and at the Lodge in the main
entrance of the Old Building.
Departmental Suggestions
If you have any ideas or feedback upon how we can improve your time at LSE, please email our suggestion
box
at [Link]@[Link] .
Department of Accounting Website
[Link]
The Department of Accounting website is a useful resource for both current and prospective students, detailing
the
courses we offer and providing information about our faculty, teaching and research. Further information
includes:
Staff/Student Liaison Committee Agendas and Meetings
Teaching Quality documents
Student Noticeboards (listing items such as changes in teaching arrangements, office hours and
Departmental events)
31
8. SCHOOL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
Academic Advisers
At the start of term all students will be assigned an Academic Adviser who is a member of the staff of the Department.
LSE defines the role of the Academic Adviser as follows:
To provide students with academic guidance and feedback on the students' progress and performance and to
discuss any academic problems they may experience.
To provide pastoral support on non-academic issues and to refer students, as necessary, to the appropriate
support agencies within the School.
To implement the provisions outlined in individual student support agreements (ISSAs) for students with
disabilities in liaison with the School's Disability Office.
To maintain regular contact with the student on academic and pastoral issues through direct one-to-one
meetings and other means of communication, such as emails. The number and nature of meetings may vary
between
departments and programmes as detailed in relevant handbooks.
The onus is on you to make arrangements to see your adviser and you should aim to do so at least twice each term, or
more frequently if you are having particular difficulties <department-specific>. As office hours are intended to be used
for general student enquiries, you can also see your adviser outside these times by making an appointment.
Students should regard their Academic Advisers as their first port of call in relation to both academic and welfare
matters. Any issues that cannot be resolved with your Adviser can be taken to a member of your Programme Team,
your Programme Director, Departmental Tutor or, ultimately, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
Accommodation Office
[Link]
The LSE Accommodation Office (V210, Tower 2) can provide advice on finding accommodation in London for you and
your visitors. You can e-mail accommodation@[Link] or telephone 020 7955 7531.
Alumni Services
[Link]
LSE's 92,000 alumni in over 190 countries worldwide provide a lifelong network of support to each other and to LSE.
They are a key part of the LSE community and serve the School by making available their time, expertise and
networks.
They participate in Court, Council and School committees as well as speaking and chairing events in the Public
Lectures
programme and at careers, departmental and student society events, organising and supporting LSE's 72
Alumni offer theand
alumni country School financial
special support
interest groupsthrough the Annual Fund for unrestricted giving and through major gifts for
and networks.
School projects such as the New Academic Building. The Annual Fund supports School projects such as
departmental initiatives, research and teaching, the Students' Union, student support, events and campus facilities
that would not otherwise receive funding. The new Chair of African Development in DESTIN, academic trips for the
Grimshaw Club LSESU Society, student hardship and welfare funds, the annual Ralph Miliband lecture series in
LSE's Public Events programme and the external café furniture for the forecourt in the New Academic Building.
If you would like to find out more about LSE's alumni, please contact us at: alumni@[Link] or visit our
website.
Auditing Courses
You may wish to
audit some courses
which are not part of
your programme,
and for which you
will not gain credit.
You may audit the
lectures of any
courses in the
School in which you 32
are interested
subject to the
approval of the
Careers Service
[Link]
LSE Careers Service offers support and guidance for all stages of your future career via a comprehensive
annual programme of careers fairs, presentations, forums, seminars, alongside individual careers advice and
extensive
information resources. The Careers Service website is the first place to check for up to date information on all
events
and services,
Fairs but these
and Forums are anumerous
- we hold few highlights:
sector-specific fairs and forums which attract a wide range of top employers
who
come to discuss their opportunities with students. Hundreds of employer presentations take place on
campus
throughout Michaelmas offering a chance to get the inside track directly from the employer.
JobShop and LSE Internships - our online Job Shop advertises part-time work that you could do whilst at LSE,
including
on-campus positions. We also run internships schemes in parliament, policy and
media:
[Link]/LSEInternships
Careers advice – our team of specialist careers advisers offer one to one appointments in which you can
discuss
anything careers related, from application forms, to employer information, to where to start when you don’t know what
to
do. A team of trained CV checkers will look over your curriculum vitae and cover letter to help you promote yourself
to an employer.
Careers research - To help you research the world of work our Information Room in W610 has stacks of free
brochures
and leaflets and a library of invaluable publications. Our extensive website has more information, video and online
tests
and downloadable pdfs of all our publications.
Your personal “My Careers Service” is the place online to find jobs, make appointments and book attendance at
events.
My Careers Service includes the vacancy board where you can search for JobShop postings, graduate and
voluntary positions and internships.
Skills development - our core programme of careers seminars covers applications, CVs, interviews, assessment
centres
and more. Employers take the lead in skills sessions, which are designed by recruiters to help you develop what
they’re
looking for in candidates. When you’ve got an interview, book a practice interview session with an adviser to put
your skills into practice.
We run a host of other projects, including Venture – the entrepreneurial support zone; the Volunteer Centre, so you
can
support your local community while developing skills; and many unique events including International
Organisations’ Day, City Fast Track, LSE India Day and Development month.
To find out more log on to Careers or visit during the week on the 3rd Floor, of Tower Three.
Catering
[Link]
ringServices/[Link]
For details of catering facilities located around the School, please see the above website.
LSE Catering Services became the first London university to achieved Fairtrade status in 2004.
Fairtrade refreshments are available in all the School's catering outlets.
Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy at LSE is there for everybody, of whatever national, political or indeed religious or non-religious
background. You will always be welcome and listened to. Whilst it is certainly true that the Chaplaincy has a core
Christian identity, with opportunities for prayer, study and socialising, it also hosts an extensive interfaith programme
of events and values its friendship with all the religious societies at the School. We can put you in touch with local
mosques, synagogues and temples. It is also a place where students of no faith are welcome to come for confidential
conversations and, if they so wish, to explore religious faith. It also provides opportunities for retreats, for visits to
London’s many tourist attractions and to meet other students from all over the world. The Chaplaincy room is G9, 20
Kingsway, opposite the Peacock Theatre on Portugal Street. The telephone number is 020 7955 7965.
33
Disability equality or students with long-term medical conditions, dyslexia and disabilities
[Link]
If you think you may need specific arrangements in order fully to access your programme of study at LSE, then do
contact the Disability and Well-being Office, if you have not already done so and arrange to see one of the
advisers:
Together, you can draft an ‘Individual Student Support Agreement’ which will set out what reasonable adjustments
need to be put in place and by whom. This includes any alternative arrangements for exams and assessment,
alternative resources for fire alarms, emergency evacuation of buildings, hearing support systems, rest rooms, study
support and assistance in the library. Practical study and social support for students with disabilities can be provided
through peer group support co-ordinated by LSE Circles Network.
Confidentiality: information regarding disabilities will not be shared without the explicit, signed permission of the
student.
You are urged to make an initial appointment with the Disability Office to discuss any disability-related concerns: you
should note that it may not be possible to make reasonable adjustments for you unless key personnel are made aware
of your situation, but every effort will be made to maintain anonymity and discretion.
The Disability and Diversity Consultative Forum meets termly to monitor and advise on disability-related issues as part
of the LSE’s commitment to working towards disability equality and fulfilling the duties required by public bodies in the
disability discrimination legislation. (DDA, 2005). We are always interested to know how practice and provision can be
improved for disabled students and staff, so please make your comments and suggestions known through your student
representatives.
Equality of opportunity means that the School views the diverse origins and backgrounds of its employees positively;
and that it seeks to become as varied an employment community as it can. In recognising that everyone is different,
equal value is given to the unique contribution that all employees' skills, knowledge and experience enable them to
make.
The School will seek to ensure that people are treated equitably, regardless of age, disability, race, nationality, ethnic or
national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, personal circumstances, political affiliation or trade union
membership.
Funds are available to assist students who register with sufficient funds for both their tuition fees and living costs but
who subsequently experience unforeseen financial difficulties.
Students who wish to apply for hardship assistance during their programme should complete the “In-course Financial
Support” application form, available online and from the Student Services Centre.
34
Student Support Fund
Students who have registered with sufficient funding but who later experience unforeseen circumstances which leave
them in financial difficulty can apply for help from t the Student Support Fund. Unforeseen circumstances can take a
range of guises, but in all cases applicants need to provide supporting documentation. In cases where a student has
knowingly registered under-funded, support from a student’s department and/or tutor does not tend to have a bearing
on the outcome of the application since this depends solely on whether or not the student can show that their difficulties
are unexpected.
The Students’ Union Advice and Welfare Centre also administer a number of specific funds, and there is
more
information about these at the following link:
[Link]
Short Term Loan facility
A Short Term Loan facility is available for students who are experiencing acute cash flow difficulties whilst awaiting
a
guaranteed source of funds (e.g., a loan or salary payment). Students may borrow up to £500, repayable within 4
weeks. Short Term Loans normally take between 24 and 48 hours to process and are given in the form of a
cheque. Emergency funds of up to £50 cash can be released on the same day.
Drop in sessions
Registered students are welcome to attend a Financial Support drop in session to discuss their situation with a
member
of staff from the office. These sessions are held every day during term time and every other day (Monday,
Wednesday, Friday) during vacations. No appointment is necessary, Sessions are held in the Student Services Centre
between 1
and 2pm.
Finding your way around LSE
The geography of the School can seem complicated at first, but you will find direction signs spread around the
buildings,
and maps and diagrams in various School publications. Maps are available at
[Link]
Language Support
As well as a range of Language & Society and Literature & Society degree options available on most, if not all,
undergraduate programmes the LSE Language Centre also offers an extra curricular programme in a range of modern
foreign languages which is open to all LSE members. To help you choose the most appropriate course there are a
series of information sessions and individual appointments held during the first weeks of term. Courses start in week 5
of the Michaelmas Term. Please see [Link] for information on the Modern
Foreign
Language (MFL) Certificate Course Programme.
If English is not your first language the Language Centre is on hand to give you advice and support throughout your
time
at LSE. The support is free and starts as soon as your main course starts. There are specific classes for academic units
and information sessions are held during the first days of term to advise you on the most appropriate classes to take.
Classes begin in week 2 of the Michaelmas Term. Please see [Link] for
information on the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Insessional Support Programme.
Along with LSE Careers and the Teaching and Learning Centre the Language Centre also contributes to the Study
Skills
Programme. This programme, including advice on how to prepare for examinations and how to write essays is aimed at
those whose first language is English or have no real problems. It is advertised throughout the year on
[Link]
Professional Development Courses. along with many other Academic, Personal
and
The Library
[Link]
LSE Library is the world’s largest social sciences library, with over four million printed items and 1,740 study places
including 450 networked PCs and over 200 laptop drop-in points. The whole Library is a wireless zone.
Library collections include the Main Collection, and the ‘Course Collection’. The Course Collection includes essential
texts from course reading lists with texts set aside for short-term loans allowing better access to key titles. Loan periods
for the Course Collection vary from one week to 24 hours. The loan periods are the same regardless of who is
borrowing and some of the fines for special Course Collection books (set texts) can be high, and so be sure to pay
attention to the loan labels when you begin to use this collection.
The Library houses 32,000 past and present journal titles in print and also subscribes to over 20,000 online journals.
The Library website provides the gateway to a wide range of electronic resources .
Special short courses are available in the Library on reference skills (e.g. Endnote bibliographic software, accessing e-
journals, using government materials etc.). Check with the Help Desk on the first floor or on the Library’s website for
more information. A series of Library Companions are also available via Moodle. The Library is open in the evenings
and at weekends, including during vacation. 24 hours opening is available during Lent and Summer terms. The LSE
Library is located in the Lionel Robbins Building, at 10 Portugal Street, on the LSE campus.
Copies of the School's prospectus can be collected at the Student Services Centre as well as forms relating to
student
administration. Students can also use the convenient drop boxes to pay fees and deliver completed forms.
Change of address
If you change your term-time address, you must inform the Student Services Centre. This change can be made by you,
using LSE for You, located on the front page of the LSE website. Your address is protected information and will not be
disclosed to a third party without your permission unless it is for reasons of official School business. It is important that
you keep us informed of your private address (and telephone number).
For further details on the Student Services Centre, see Appendix Two at the rear of this
handbook.
Student Study Support
The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) aim to support teaching and learning across the School, to improve
teaching quality and enable both staff and students to get the most from their time at LSE. They are part of the
Professional
Academic andDevelopment Division (APD) alongside the Careers Department and the Language Centre. They
also
cover all aspects of academic development including research and academic
management.
Their activities are wide-ranging and include training for academic staff, study support for students, advising students
with disabilities and dyslexia and supporting researchers. They run a large number of training workshops throughout
the year on many different topics - see Central events programme. If you can't find what you need, please get in
[Link]
touch
Every LSE student is a member and with that membership comes the ability to get involved in all aspects of the
Students’ Union. Even if politics isn’t your thing, you can still hold officers to account and make sure they’re
representing you on the issues you care most about at the weekly Union General Meeting, the only one of its kind in
the country.
Beyond this your membership gives you opportunities to write for our weekly newspaper, The Beaver, join societies,
or play for any of the sports clubs.
38
Student activities
With over 170 societies in the Students’ Union, you can be sure that there is something to cater to your interests.
From
Knitting to Business, the variety of societies and activities change with the interests and initiative of each new group
of students. The diverse nature of the LSE student body is also reflected in the wide range of national and cultural
societies on offer. The Students’ Union also runs a weekly newspaper, a radio station, TV network and journal.
Sports
Sports enthusiasts won’t be disappointed by the activities on offer. Our Athletics Union is home to some 30-plus
clubs covering a wide range of sports. The standard of sport is high, with teams regularly reaching the final stages of
the national BUCS leagues.
Many use the School's 25 acre sports ground at New Malden, Surrey, a short train journey away from campus. There
are pitches for football, rugby, hockey (both men's and women's), cricket, together with a multi-use games area and
grass tennis courts, plus a restaurant and well appointed bar are open on match days. On campus, there are facilities
for judo, table tennis, floorball, karate and boxing; a gymnasium and three squash courts. Nearby, there are facilities
for basketball, rowing, cricket and swimming.
Timetables
[Link]
Timetables for all courses are available on the LSE Website, listed according to course
code.
University of London facilities: Lectures and Libraries
The LSE is a part of the University of London, and as such has links to some University of London libraries. If the need
should arise to research special topics that go beyond the LSE Library collection, students are advised to check if
Senate House or School of Oriental and African Studies libraries hold the required items. Readers’ tickets are available
by filling out a form distributed through the Library information desk (first floor). Both libraries are within walking distance
from the LSE (Russell Square tube station).
Students in the past have enjoyed special lectures held by various University of London hosts. Whilst you are studying
at LSE, it is worth investigating if there are any particular lectures being given by Goldsmiths, School of Oriental and
African Studies or University of London departments.
Vacations
During LSE vacation periods, academic staff will not be available to meet with students. It is important that you
organise your workload to allow time to see your tutor during term-time, especially for dissertation supervision during
the summer
term. Administrative staff are available all year round, but generally do not hold official office hours during vacations.
LSE closes for a few days over Christmas and Easter. During this time, all the Department’s offices will be closed, and
there will be minimal facilities available throughout the School. Details will be published online closer to the time.
We hope that you will enjoy your time at LSE and that you will want to recommend studying at the School to other
potential students. If this is the case, please visit the Alumni Recruitment Volunteers website and complete the
application form to join our worldwide network of volunteers:
[Link]
40
9. USEFUL INFORMATION SECTION
Michaelmas Term
Thursday 30 September - Friday 10 December
2010
Lent Term
Monday 10 January - Friday 25 March 2011 (N.B eleven week
term)
Summer Term
Tuesday 3 May - Friday 1 July 2011 (N.B nine week
term)
School closures: all School offices closed but some buildings open
The School is also officially closed for Easter and Christmas as follows:
Easter - in addition to the public holidays, the School is closed on the Thursday before and the Tuesday
and
Wednesday after Easter
Christmas - in addition to the public holidays, the School is closed for the three weekdays which fall
between
Christmas and New Year, and the two weekdays prior to Christmas; except when Christmas Day falls on
a Thursday, when the School is closed for Christmas Eve, the three weekdays which fall between
Christmas and New Year and Friday 2 January.
41
MSc Accounting and Finance Programme Calendar
2010
22 September School Registration in the Hong Kong Theatre
18 October (Week 3) Deadline date for amendments to Michaelmas Term Course Options
Classes begin. Class Timetable published on Timetables home page (Please check
the timetable as some classes begin in Week 4).
2011
10 January Lent Term Begins
January Student to meet with Academic Advisers to discuss Michaelmas Term Class reports
42
APPENDICES
43
Appendix One
Guidance on marked classwork for taught postgraduate courses
Classwork marks
Classwork is set to give students the incentive and opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the course to date and
to
identify to themselves and their teachers where they need further guidance in their class or at an individual level in
office hours. Feedback on work ('formative assessment') is intended to help both you and your teachers to assess your
progress. An interpretation of the marking criteria likely to be used by your teachers is given below. Normally, it makes
sense for your class teachers to grade your classwork generally on an 'as if this were an examination answer' basis,
subject to behavioural modifications to encourage additional effort etc! However, classwork assignment has multiple
purposes, so attainment levels in classwork and other work set during a course cannot be expected to give a direct
indication of likely examination performance ('summative assessment'). Moreover, you should remember that individual
class exercises may not require answers representative of the standard of answer required in an examination. Courses
usually get more demanding as the year progresses, and examination questions commonly combine tests of a range of
skills (e.g. both quantitative calculations and qualitative interpretation / discussion), and may also test the ability to bring
together knowledge and understanding from different parts of the syllabus. Commonly in an exam you may be asked in
the qualitative part of a question to offer an interpretation of your calculations or discuss wider issues that arise out of
them, but you will normally be given guidance as to the balance of marks between different requirements. Where mock
examinations are set and marked on a course, the same conventions will be used, but similar caveats apply (e.g. some
mock exams may give ‘progress test questions’ rather than full examination questions.)
You should also remember the School's rules on 'plagiarism' which, for examinations or other summative assessment,
is
an assessment offence (see 2005-06 LSE Graduate Handbook). Class teachers will regard as 'plagiarism' the copying
of an exercise solution for submission as classwork (including any solution provided by the course teachers in the
current or previous sessions).
Please provide feedback to your class teachers and /or through your Staff Student Committee on how useful you find
this guidance, or on where it needs adapting in the light of experience. Note that this guidance does not cover the
marking of any coursework that is assessed as part of the final summative assessment of the course.
Feedback on work
The normal requirement for LSE postgraduate courses is that at least 1 piece of work is collected and graded each term
for formative assessment. For some courses this work is specified by the course lecturer; in other cases the class
teacher makes clear to the class members the basis on which work will be collected (e.g. which particular weeks’ work;
or ‘at random’). For some courses a mock examination may be set instead. Work should normally be returned to you
not
more than 2 weeks after being handed in. Oral and /or group presentations may be assessed on some courses in lieu
of written work: you should be given suitable advice and guidance on how to make good presentations and on the
criteria
by which presentations will be assessed. With specialist options, course teachers may design alternative forms of
presentation/submission of work and of feedback which they consider more appropriate to the objectives of the course:
Teachers may makeshould
these requirements use ofbe
themade
formative
clear feedback
to you. forms and you should complete these when asked to do so (stocks
are available in the Student Information Centre). A record of work assessed, the grades and any other comments will be
retained by your class-teacher for use in completing end-of-term student reports. Some samples of student work are
also copied and retained by the Department for internal and external Teaching Quality Review purposes.
44
Marking of numerical / quantitative exercises / problems (or parts of assignments)
Notes:
For purposes of formative assessment anything below ‘B’ is therefore not really satisfactory for MSc
students' coursework with ‘F’ being totally ‘unacceptable’.
Plusses and minuses may be interpolated (e.g. 'B-' or 'C+') but for formative assessment it is normally more
helpful to give a clearer message with the broader grades.
NB Remember that discussion parts of questions are generally at least as important as the
numerical/quantitative parts
45
Marking of essays (or discussion parts of assignments)
Notes: as above. Also where presentation is very poor (particularly grammar, spelling etc.) this can lower a grade but
this will normally be mentioned specifically as a problem as students may need to seek specialist remediation of their
writing skills.
46
Appendix Two
Further information on the Students Services Centre
Programme Registration
At the start of the academic year you need to register on your programme of study. Each programme / department is
allocated a specific registration time slot. You will need to provide proof of your eligibility to study in the UK in order to
receive your School ID card. This card will, amongst other things, allow you to access your library account.
For more information on programme registration, including registration schedules and information for continuing
students, please see:
Graduate students:
[Link]
[Link]
The New Arrivals section of the School website provides comprehensive information to help you settle in to life at the
LSE. The new arrivals pages contain details of all Orientation events taking place at the start of the academic year;
including those specific to your department, the Students’ Union Freshers’ Fayre, as well as central School Orientation
events. These events are designed to give you essential information to make the most of your time at the School and
provide an opportunity to meet other LSE students. The site also includes details of when your registration session will
take place and what you need to bring with you to successfully register on your programme. Other New Arrivals
information available includes advice on student mentoring, School support services, opening a bank account and
setting up your LSE IT account.
[Link]
We can advise you on your immigration options while studying at LSE, for example:
Fees
The School offers two options for payment of fees. They can either be paid in full in September/October or by Personal
Payment Plan using [Link] or as one third
at the start of each term. If you do not know the cost of your fees, please see the Table of Fees
at
[Link]
47
How to pay your Fees
You can pay by cheque either by posting your cheque to the Fees Office or by using the drop-box in the Student
Service
Centre.
You can pay by credit/debit card either after you have registered by using the fees page on LSE for You; or you can pay
on-line using the following link [Link]
tbuilder/[Link]?goto=WEB_PAY_01
You can pay by Bank Transfer; the full details of our bank account are at
[Link]
pdf
Penalties for Late Payment
There are penalties for late payment. These may include loss of library rights, de-registration, referral to Credit Control
or fines. You will be warned by email if your payments are late and/or if sanctions are going to be imposed on you. At
this time you are able to contact the Fees Office directly.
Certificate of Registration
A certificate of registration provides proof to organisations, such as the Home Office, council tax offices and banks,
that
you are registered as a current student at the School.
It details your full name, date of birth, term time and permanent home addresses, student number, the title, subject,
start and end dates of your programme, registration status and expected date of graduation.
As a currently registered student you can print out your certificate instantly via LSE for You under the ‘Certificate of
Registration’ option. Should you experience difficulties using the LSE for You system, or require a certificate with
additional information, please email registry@[Link]. Your certificate should be available within three working days,
although it may take up to five working days during busy periods. Additionally, should you require your certificate to be
signed and stamped, staff at the Student Services Centre will be happy to do this for you.
48
Term dates and School closures
Academic year 2010-2011
Michaelmas Term
Thursday 30 September - Friday 10 December
2010
Lent Term
Monday 10 January - Friday 25 March 2011 (N.B. eleven week
term)
Summer Term
Tuesday 3 May - Friday 1 July 2011 (N.B. nine week
term)
The School will also be closed on English public holidays. In 2010/2011 these will be
Course Choice
You can make course choices using the LSE for You course selection system until Friday 29th October 2010.
For postgraduate students, many courses will have restricted access so an application will have to be made to the
department teaching the course before it can be selected. If this is required, it will be indicated on the LFY course
choice system.
All course choices are subject to the approval of your home department.
After the online course choice system has been switched off, in order to change a course you will need to fill in a ‘late
course change’ form available from the Student Services Centre.
Undergraduate classes are automatically allocated via timetabling software. In order to request a class change you
should apply using the LSE for You class change request system.
If you have circumstances which prevent you from attending your scheduled class, the dates and times unavailable
must be included in the request. Once you have applied, the request will be sent for consideration by the department
responsible for teaching the affected course. We may ask you to provide documentary evidence in support of your
application.
If the request is approved, you will be sent an email informing you of the decision. The change will be reflected on your
LSE for You personal timetable within three working days.
Seminar registration for postgraduate students is handled directly by the department teaching the
course.
For further detailed information, please see the following links:
[Link]
spx
49
Student Study Support
The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) offers study support to all students. There is a series of lectures and
workshops throughout the academic year covering essay writing, time management, preparing for exams and dealing
with stress etc. A limited number of one-to-one appointments can also be booked with a TLC study adviser to discuss
strategies for quantitative/qualitative subjects or with the Royal Literary Fund Fellow to improve writing style. Email
studentsupport@[Link] or call 020 7852 3627. You are encouraged to register on the TLC Moodle course Learning
World (LW) from the beginning of the Michaelmas term and to regularly check LSE Training ([Link] for
full details of resources and courses to support your learning.
The LSE Student Counselling Service is part of the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) and is located in our main
office on the 5th Floor of 20 Kingsway. This free and confidential service aims to enable you to cope with personal or
study difficulties that may be affecting you while at LSE. Throughout the academic year, there are also group sessions
and workshops concerning issues such as exam anxiety and stress management. For full details, please see
[Link]
All counselling sessions need to be booked in advance, but there is a limited number of daily emergency slots available.
You can make an appointments by email ([Link]@[Link]), phone (020 7852 3627) or by coming in to
the TLC office (G507).
Disability equality is the responsibility of the whole School. If you are disabled, dyslexic or have a long term medical
condition you are entitled to services from the School to facilitate equal access to services and help with your studies.
The Disability and Well-being Office (DWO), headed by Nicola Martin, co-ordinates specialist individual assistance, for
example, advice from a mental health adviser or dyslexia specialist.
You may be entitled to an individual student support agreement (ISSA). This is created by the DWO and outlines
relevant reasonable adjustments. It is disseminated to staff within the school, as agreed by you and the DWO, to meet
your needs.
If English is not your first language the Language Centre is on hand to give you advice and support throughout your
time
at LSE. The support is free and starts as soon as your main course starts. There are specific classes for academic units
and information sessions are held during the first days of term to advise you on the most appropriate classes to take.
Classes begin in week 2 of the Michaelmas Term. Please see [Link]/languages for information on the English
for Academic Purposes (EAP) In-sessional Support Programme.
As well as a range of Language & Society and Literature & Society degree options available on most, if not all,
undergraduate programmes the LSE Language Centre also offers an extra-curricular programme in a range of modern
foreign languages which is open to all LSE members. To help you choose the most appropriate course there are a
series of information sessions and individual appointments held during the first weeks of term. Courses start in week 5
of the Michaelmas Term and the cost of a standard course in 2010-11 is £215.00. Please see [Link]/languages
for information on the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) Certificate Course Programme.
50
Welfare Services (see also individual entries in this handbook)
The Student Counselling Service offers you the opportunity to talk confidentially about any issues that are causing you
concern. [Link]
The Disability and Well-being Office can set up an Individual Student Support Arrangement for any students with a
disability, including dyslexia. This support can cover issues such as travelling to the LSE, getting around campus,
coursework deadlines, class materials, and examination arrangements. [Link]
The Students' Union has an Advice and Counselling Service which provides legal advice on housing, immigration, visa
extensions, employment problems, welfare benefits, grants, fee status and disability rights.
[Link]
The Chaplaincy is available to all students of any faith, or none, to confidentially discuss anything and everything.
[Link]
Nightline is a free and confidential listening service run by students for students from 6pm to 8am. [Link]
uk/
St Philips Medical Centre is an on campus NHS medical practice available to students living locally to the School.
[Link]
Careers Service
LSE Careers is a very active service offering a wide range of activities about campus, online and in the Careers Service
on Floor 3, Tower 6. Find out what is happening right now at: [Link]/careers
Our aim is to advise you through the career planning and recruitment process, helping you to research options, acquire
employable skills and promote yourself to employers in the best way. We do this through a programme of careers
advice sessions, seminars, an extensive information website, fairs, forums, employer-led events and more.
LSE is very fortunate in attracting the top recruiters in many sectors which enables us to run an LSE-exclusive vacancy
board full of internships, voluntary, part time and graduate positions.
LSE Careers also run a series of internships schemes. Internships can allow you to gain practical experience in your
chosen sector, can help you develop employable skills and can be the perfect platform to make key contacts for your
future job search.
We work closely with employers to secure internship opportunities in all sectors with a focus on business and
management and with entrepreneurs. We also source a series of graduate internships to help you make the transition
from study to employment. You can search for internship opportunities throughout the year on My Careers Service.
If you are considering a career in parliament, public and social policy, media policy or corporate social responsibility,
look out for the LSE Internship scheme, which offers internships for up to 15 hours per week for postgraduate students.
Applications open in early October each year. See [Link]/studentinternships for the latest information.
The LSE Volunteer Centre is also based within the Careers Service and is here to support you in finding voluntary roles
while studying. We advertise volunteering opportunities at different charities across London and internationally, with
positions ranging from one-off opportunities to part time internships with charities.
The annual Volunteering Fair takes place in the first week of Michaelmas term and is a great opportunity to meet with
over twenty charities. Throughout the year, we run skills, training and information events and work with charity partners
to support student-focused projects, such as the READ Campus books drive, FoodCycle and the Teach First Access
Bus.
Take a look at the Volunteer Centre website for practical information and advice about volunteering while at LSE and
then search under ‘volunteering’ to browse through the exciting range of positions available on My Careers Service:
[Link]/volunteerCentre
51
Booking for all events and appointments at LSE Careers and searching for jobs and opportunities is available in one
place on the My Careers Service system via our website. We can work with you whatever role you may wish to pursue
and whatever stage you have reached in planning your future after LSE. To get started, take a look at
[Link]/careers.
The Student Services Centre provides advice and information on the following
services
Admissions
Certificates of Registration
Course choice and class changes
Examinations and results
Fees – process fee payments and distribute cheques
Financial Support – Advice on scholarships, awards, prizes, emergency funding and
studentships
Information for new arrivals
Programme Registration
Presentation of Awards Ceremonies
Transcripts and Degree certificates
Visa and immigration advice
The SSC provides a counter service for students at the following times:
10am–5pm every weekday during term time
10am-4pm during vacation.
You can also contact us by telephone. Details of who to contact and more information on advice can be found on our
website: [Link]
Financial Support
The Financial Support Office is located within LSE's Student Services Centre and is responsible for administering
School funds and a variety of scholarships, studentships, prizes and awards.
PhD students who are in the final stages of completing their thesis are also eligible to apply.
52
Presentation Ceremonies
Presentation ceremonies are held twice a year: in July for students who have followed undergraduate or nine-month
taught postgraduate degree programmes, and in December for students who have followed twelve-month taught
postgraduate degree programmes. MPhil/PhD research students are presented at both the July and December
ceremonies.
Invitations are emailed to all students expected to successfully complete their programme of study around two months
before the ceremonies. Tickets can then be booked online.
The ceremonies take place in the Peacock Theatre and you are able to bring along two guests. The ceremony itself
usually lasts between one and one and a quarter hours and is immediately followed by an on-campus drinks reception.
Your certificates will be available for collection on the day of the School's presentation ceremonies. If you are unable to
attend the ceremony, it will be posted out to you within four weeks of the ceremony. Certificates are sent to students'
home addresses so please ensure that your home address is complete and up-to-date on LSE for You before the
ceremonies.
Graduate students:
[Link]
xamsAndResultsPg/degreeCe [Link]
If you experience any difficulties during your time at LSE then you should make sure that you keep in regular contact
with your Academic Adviser. He/she will be able to help signpost you to appropriate services within the School so that
you receive the necessary support to hopefully enable you to continue studying successfully.
However, with approval from your department you can interrupt your programme by taking an authorised break in your
studies, normally from the end of one term and for one calendar year.
[Link]
Withdrawing means that you are permanently leaving the programme. Before withdrawing you may want to consider
interruption so that you have some time to consider your options.
[Link]
If you complete the teaching year but have difficulties during the examination period then in exceptional circumstances
you can apply to defer an examination(s) to the following year.
[Link]
spx
53
LSE for You
LSE for You is the School's institutional portal. It provides all members of the School community with direct access to
their records on the School's various databases.
Please visit LSE for You to, amongst other things, progress your application for a place at the School, register, check
your fees and enrol for courses
For further guidance on how to use LSE for You please consult its individual web pages or email LFY@lse.
[Link]
Email
The School uses the email program Microsoft Outlook, which is available on every public computer on the LSE network.
You may also access e-mail off campus using webmail, remote desktop or a variety of email clients for both personal
computers and mobile phones.
Students are allocated 200MB for email. We recommend that you develop a filing system, frequently deleting and
archiving mail to ensure you stay within your limit.
IT Support
For contact details and further information about our services visit [Link]/itservice
s
54
Moodle
Moodle is the name of the School's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) run by the Centre for Learning Technology.
Moodle is a password protected web environment that may contain a range of teaching resources, activities,
assignments, information and discussions relating to your course. The content of Moodle is the responsibility of your
teacher and so it will vary from course to course. Not all teachers choose to use Moodle.
Moodle can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet, on and off campus. You can access Moodle
using your School user name and password from [Link] This page also has links to help and advice
on using Moodle.
To get started with Moodle see [Link] . You will also find links to Moodle
from a number of web pages including the main School homepage for staff and students. If you have any technical
problems with Moodle you should contact the IT helpdesk.
Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) take place at a departmental or institute level and typically meet once a
term.
The meetings provide a forum for students both to share their views about their programmes of study and to discuss
issues that affect the student community as a whole. SSLCs are made up of student representatives from each
programme of study together with appropriate academic staff. Normally, there is one representative for each year of
each programme, although this can vary depending on the number of students in the department/institute.
The SSLC also elects one representative to attend the relevant School level Students' Consultative Forum. More
information on the Consultative Fora can be found by following the link
[Link]
The Codes of Practice for Undergraduates and Taught Masters Programmes explain the basic reciprocal obligations
and responsibilities of staff and students. They set out what you can expect from your Departments – and what
Departments are expected to provide – in relation to the teaching and learning experience. The Codes cover areas like
the roles and responsibilities of Academic Advisers and Departmental Tutors; the structure of teaching at the School;
examinations and assessment. They also set out your responsibilities, i.e. what the School expects of you.
Postgraduate students:
[Link]
eac [Link]
The School has Regulations and Codes of Conduct covering many aspects of student life and it is a good idea to
familiarise yourself with the policies which exist.
Some of the regulations explain the organisation and conduct of your academic study and you are advised to refer to
the
General Academic Regulations and Programme Regulations. These include information about the structure of
programmes, assessment, graduation and what to do if illness affects your studies.
The following web link details the General Academic Regulations.
[Link]
55
The following web links detail the School’s Programme Regulations.
Regulations for
DiplomasRegulations for Short Courses and Summer
School
Regulations for the consideration of appeals against decisions of boards of examiners for taught
courses
Regulations for research
degrees
Regulations for Taught Masters degrees (before
2009/10)
Regulations for Taught Masters degrees (entering in or after
2009/10)
Research degrees - see Regulations for research
degrees
Regulations on assessment offences: other than
plagiarism
and the following web link gives you an a-z list of relevant regulatory documents where you can find further details of all
School Regulations.
[Link]
Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty
The work you submit for assessment must be your own. If you try to pass off the work of others as your own you will be
committing plagiarism.
Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other persons, including other candidates, must be clearly
identified as such, being placed inside quotation marks and a full reference to their sources must be provided in proper
form. A series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism
just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source.
The examiners are vigilant for cases of plagiarism and the School uses plagiarism detection software to identify
plagiarised text. Work containing plagiarism may be referred to an Assessment Misconduct Panel which may result in
severe penalties.
If you are unsure about the academic referencing conventions used by the School you should seek guidance from your
tutor or the Library, see link below. The Regulations on Plagiarism can be found at the following web link.
[Link]
[Link]
Results
Results are published following the meetings of the School Board of Examiners for undergraduate programmes and
Graduate School Board of Examiners for graduate programmes. These meetings take place in early July and results
are generally published within 48 hours. Precise dates of publication are published on the Student Services Service
Website during the course of the year.
Results for 12 month taught Master’s programmes are considered at the Graduate School Board of Examiners in
November and results published by the end of that month.
The School does not release information about marks to students until they are officially ratified by the relevant School
Board of Examiners. However, it is open to individual Departments to release provisional marks to students after the
examination period. Please contact Departments directly for information about their practice. Please note that
provisional marks have no status and may be subject to amendment by the relevant School Board of Examiners.
56
Please note: the School will not release your results if you owe any fees. Please check your balance on LSEforYou to
see if you have any tuition, halls or library fees outstanding. If you cannot see any outstanding fees on your account,
then please contact the Finance Office on fees@[Link]| for clarification
Transcripts of Results
After each examination session you will be able to request a transcript of your marks called an 'intermediate transcript'
online via LSEforYou. The Student Services Centre aims to despatch all requests for intermediate transcripts within five
working days of the request being made online. These are provided free of charge to current students and recent
alumni
(those who graduated within one calendar year of the official end date of your course). The Student Services Centre will
send a full transcript of results to students who have completed their programmes during the Summer following the end
of the programme.
Transcripts contain the following information:
Your full name
Your date of birth
Classification Schemes
Undergraduate and graduate degrees are classified according to the classification scheme which may vary depending
on the year a programme started. Classification schemes are applied by the Boards of Examiners at their meetings in
July and November each year.
Please refer to one of the following web link for further details.
[Link]
[Link]
Quality Assurance
The School’s approach to quality assurance is set out in the document ‘Towards a Strategy for Managing Academic
Standards and Quality’: [Link] It sets out broad principles for
assuring academic standards and for enhancing the quality of educational provision.
The School’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee (TLAC) is the body responsible for ensuring that the
School and Departments discharge their responsibilities under ‘Towards a Strategy’. It does this by receiving reports on
a range of related areas: degree and course outcomes, external examiners’ reports, reviews of Departments and
Institutes, and national developments in quality assurance, to name but a few. It also monitors the outcomes of the
quality assurance processes that Departments and Institutes operate locally, e.g. Staff-Student Liaison Committees,
course and programme monitoring/review, Departmental/Teaching meetings, consideration of teaching surveys, etc.
57
TLAC is serviced by the Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office (TQARO). This office is responsible for
supporting the School’s quality assurance infrastructure. This includes acting as the School’s point of contact with the
Quality Assurance Agency, a national body that safeguards quality and standards in UK higher education.
The Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office (TQARO) conducts two School-wide surveys each year to assess
students’ opinions of teaching. They provide teachers with important information about the perceived quality of their
teaching, and the School with a measure of general teaching standards. The Graduate Teaching Assistant survey
covers classroom teaching by hourly paid lecturers and takes place in the Michaelmas Term. The permanent teacher
survey takes place in both the Michaelmas and Lent Terms. The surveys produce both quantitative and qualitative
results. The paper questionnaires are distributed in classes and lectures to encourage higher response rates.
Teaching scores are made available to individual teachers, heads of department, course convenors, the Director of the
Teaching and Learning Centre and Pro-Director (Teaching and Learning). In addition to producing reports for individual
teachers, TQARO produces aggregated quantitative data for departments and the School, which provide important
performance indicators.
The Library
The LSE student card you receive at registration will also be your Library card. You do not need to register separately
with the Library.
58
Students’ Union
The Students’ Union is run by students, for students and exists to make LSE students’ time at the School the best it can
be. It is run by an Executive Committee of five paid, elected student Sabbatical Officers and elected volunteers.
Representation and student engagement – the Union exists to represent students to the School and
campaign on
student issues through School committees and developing links with key external stakeholders.
Student activities – the Union funds and supports over 200 societies, sports clubs, Media Group societies
and
Raising and Giving charitable fundraising.
Welfare and student support – the Student Support Unit of legally-trained advice workers runs our Advice
and
Counselling
Elected Centre, which
Representatives offers free, confidential advice to students on a range of issues.
(2010-2011)
Commercial services – the Union runs the Three Tuns Pub, the Underground Bar, two Shops and the LSE
Charlotte Gerada – General Secretary
Gym.
Ashok Kumar – Education Officer
Hero Austin – Community & Welfare Officer
Charlie Glyn – Activities & Development
Officer
[Link]
The Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy to the LSE, whilst having a definite Christian identity, is nevertheless here for all students regardless of
religious or non-religious background. There is a full-time Anglican Chaplain and part-time Roman Catholic and Free
Church Chaplains, all of whom are available for any student to see who would like to have a confidential conversation
or some advice.
The Chaplaincy provides opportunity for worship with a weekly Catholic Mass and Anglican Eucharist. It also hosts
study groups and bible studies as well as a variety of social activities, which change from term to term.
The Chaplaincy is also host to an Inter - Faith Forum which incorporates all of the faith communities present at LSE.
This Forum is the basis for a great deal of inter-faith friendship, co-operation and mutual understanding. The
Chaplaincy can put you in touch with any of these communities.
Above all the chaplaincy is here to provide a warm welcome and hospitality to all who come through its
doors.
The Chaplaincy can be found in G3, on the ground floor of 20 Kingsway. Visit [Link]/chaplaincy or call
02079557965.
Timetables
The Timetables Offices is responsible for scheduling and allocating rooms to all of the Schools Undergraduate, Masters
and Research taught courses. The timings of all taught courses can be viewed on the Timetables web page:
[Link]
Masters students self select seminar groups in LSE for You and you will need to check lecture times on the Timetables
website. Where possible you will be notified of changes to scheduled teaching via email.
59